Mandoki has given us a powerful motion picture. Even those who disagree with the film's politics will be haunted by its message.

Movies like this usually have something interesting to say about the human condition, but not Nine Lives. It makes an insufferably obvious observation: we live boring lives, shit happens, and we die.

Like other actors who successfully create a cinematic doppelganger of a real person, Strathairn gets under the character's skin.

Artificial in both its dialogue and its construction, the film only works - on those occasions when it works - because of the sincere performance by the underrated Toni Collette.

Marginally worth seeing if you're a Pacino fan but, even then, waiting for the DVD is the smart bet.

Jeff Daniels, an actor who is often relegated to inoffensive supporting roles, surprises with the power and intensity of his performance.

One of the better offerings to be found in a year that has seen a drop-off in the quality of animated films.

As feel-good as any sports movie you're likely to find. It's a solid choice for family viewing, but is equally worthy of viewing by solo adults.

It has all the elements one would expect from a "so bad it's good" feature: cheesy dialogue, a script that could have been written by two chimpanzees, acting that would make a high school drama teacher cringe, and lots of tight female bodies poured into tiny bikinis. Despite all of that, however, I found Into the Blue to be a real trial.

A fast-paced, engaging science fiction adventure tale.

The brilliance of Bennett's movie is that it concentrates on the characters and their interaction and never becomes a mouthpiece for one side or the other with respect to the death penalty.

The narrative is simplistic and lacking in energy, and the characters are sketched instead of fully formed.

The latest motion picture to take an intriguing premise and flush it into the septic tank.

Although there's little wrong with the first two-thirds, A History of Violence slides onto a tangential path during its final act, and this misstep reduces the production's overall effectiveness.

As an introduction to the story for someone with no previous exposure to Oliver Twist, Polanski's movie is adequate.

The material is intellectual, but the treatment is not. Proof is a stirring motion picture that challenges our views on a great many things about life, some of which we take for granted. And, by opening up the play, Madden has made it less talky and more cinematic without losing the quintessential elements that made it such a success on stage.

The movie starts cheating the audience early, and never lets up.

This movie is sloppy and disjointed - an unsatisfying melodrama built upon a shaky foundation of contrivances, coincidences, and plot holes.

As animated films go, this is easily the best of a weak year.

Thumbsucker is true to its nature, and that makes Justin's eventual transformation all the more rewarding.

Levy and Jackson save the day, and the film. The Man isn't great entertainment, but it contains enough laughter-provoking material to make it worth a look.

An Unfinished Life isn't original, but, for those who enjoy this sort of drama, it's an opportunity to remember how, in the right circumstances, on-screen characters can touch our hearts.

Take away the performances, and all that would be left is a cheapish B-grade motion picture.

Loud, kinetic, unflinching action.

The ending seems predestined, and the overlong, tepid journey getting to that point isn't worth the price of admission.

Only for die-hard Cho fans. Everyone else will be offended, bored, or some combination of the two.

Talky and intelligent, and never takes the cheap way out. It's also something of a downer.

Dirty Deeds boasts a passably entertaining idea that is butchered in the telling.

Eternal isn't that bad. Actually, it is. But it's kind of fun, too, in a way only cheesy exploitation films can be fun.

Rude, raunchy, uproarious, yet with elements that are surprisingly sweet.

A silly script and uneven pacing.

It's not as clever as it thinks it is, not as funny or exciting as it should be, and not as engaging as it needs to be to prevent kids from losing interest and parents from falling asleep.

Delivers its share of cheap scares but never unlocks the door to the creepiness that would have made this is memorable movie-going experience.

The rousing success of the final 45 minutes cannot entirely counterbalance the stumbling uncertainty of the first 90 minutes.

Actually three movies in one: a wildlife film about how grizzly bears behave in their natural habitat, a character study of an eccentric environmentalist, and a chilling, voyeuristic narrative of how death stalks that man.

Pretty Persuasion reminds me of a half-hour TV series that has a great pilot episode, then falls apart in subsequent installments. Movies need to grow and change to keep things interesting; this one is stagnant.

Straight viewing could result in brain damage.

In the wasteland of August releases, this entry shines like a beacon lighting the way to a theater.

Functions as much as a primer on how to conduct underground filmmaking as it does an offbeat romantic comedy.

There is sadness and humor here, but all understated.

Bland and forgettable - a romantic comedy with affable characters and some funny lines, but where love never really takes flight. It fizzles when it should sizzle.

From a pure entertainment perspective, it is arguably the most enjoyable motion picture of the season. Sky High is funny, smart, energetic, subversive, and has a few substantive things to say.

Plastic characters, chaotic camerawork, lots of things blowing up, and an incredibly dumb screenplay. In short, it represents a great time at the movies for anyone who has recently undergone a frontal lobotomy.

It celebrates art, hope, and dreams, and you don't have to like hip-hop to appreciate the message or the way in which it is delivered.

There's enough fun to be had that it's almost possible to ignore the stupidity of the story and the cavity that replaces character development.

Linklater has crafted an entertaining motion picture.

This is a vile and reprehensible motion picture.

Lovers of Dahl's book will almost certainly appreciate what Burton has wrought.

After a promising beginning, this movie crashes and burns.

Some of the characters are interesting, but their situations are not.

This picture doesn't have deep enough currents to succeed as a psychological thriller and, as a ghost story, there are times when it has trouble treading water.

Frustrating because it doesn't seem far removed from a wholly enjoyable motion picture, but the tempo's off, beats are missed, and the production ends up sounding out-of-tune.

The emotional resonance that results from the focus on several unique individuals is what makes this a worthwhile viewing experience.

War of the Worlds is not vintage Spielberg, and it's on the grim side for a summer action blockbuster, but it's worth the time and money invested.

The motion picture version of Bewitched is a travesty of monumental proportions that belongs in the "What the hell were they thinking?" category.

It's not startling or frightening enough.

Does what all good National Geographic documentaries do: it informs and entertains while providing interesting wildlife footage. Unfortunately, it's not cinematic.

The movie is pleasant but unspectacular, and at times it borders on being too cute.

Offbeat, daring, and the kind of offering Hollywood will never come close to embracing.

The action scenes are, for the most part, kinetic and exciting - things that have rarely been true of fights and chases in the superhero's previous incarnations.

The problem with Mr. and Mrs. Smith is that it's really two movies in one. The first is a sly comedy/thriller worthy of Hitchcock, and the other is a big, noisy summer action flick.

The film revels in blood and gore, but this is not just a run-of-the-mill splatter film. There's a lot of intelligence in both the script and in Alexandre Aja's direction.

Miyazaki may not have achieved the level of "Spirited Away," but he's still ahead of the curve.

5x2 is a little talky and the pace is slow, but, for this kind of motion picture, it's one of the best around.

Overlong and unevenly paced, Cinderella Man hits stretches (especially between bouts) when it threatens to lose its audience.

Inept storytelling is one of Lords of Dogtown's great frustrations.

Although targeted primarily for girls in the 12-to-19-year old range, there's enough truth about friendship, love, and life in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants to offer solid entertainment to almost anyone who gives it a chance.

Eventually, it had to happen: a computer-animated dud.

Only now can we truly step back and admire the full tapestry that it has taken George Lucas and his ILM wizards nearly three decades to weave.

One of Mindhunters' strengths is that it's difficult to guess who the culprit is because Harlin and his screenwriters don't play fair with the audience.

Monster-in-Law is appalling misfire of a comedy - a motion picture that takes a situation ripe for the blackest vein of satire and reduces it to a puerile and edgeless pile of goo

The film contains enough quiet, reflective moments for us to become aware how preposterous the central conceit is, and that keeps us at arm's length.

Isn't just heartwarming and inspiring, it's a remarkable look at a group of children whose most noteworthy trait is that they are ordinary.

At times compelling, at times devastating, and at times long-winded.

The problem is that the writing is too weak for me to come close to recommending it.

Kingdom of Heaven may have problems, but it delivers.

Unfortunately, the running time is too short for us to get to know, or care about, the characters in a way that would make the film's themes strike a responsive chord.

Boasts a strong ensemble of performances. Martin Freeman is the perfect choice for an ordinary, unheroic Earth guy.

One can give Ice Cube props for attitude, but not much more.

This enigmatic and in some ways maddening motion picture has the power to haunt every viewer it reaches.

A cut above the average politically-based thriller.

Here's a pleasant little romantic comedy that doesn't try too hard and has the virtue of doing a few things differently.

Truly a tale for our time.

The Amityville Horror fails as a movie, but, if you are searching for are a few good scares, you'll find them here.

A shallow, transparent satire/social commentary, Palindromes lives and dies on a gimmick.

Takes the action/adventure story to new heights of preposterousness. In a way, that's not a bad thing, since it allows a certain level of guilty enjoyment.

A curious mix of smarts and schmaltz.

Viewers will discover that the film has something to offer nearly everyone, whether they are a novice or a black belt in kung fu cinema.

Disgusting, offensive, and utterly without merit. And, on top of that, it's boring and pretentious.

The most visually inventive comic book adaptation to make its way to a movie screen.

It is for a particular audience - those who like films that concentrate on character rather than plot, and who aren't put off by subtitles.

A palatable film. It offers a few solid laughs and will provoke some smiles.

Camilla Belle is an impressive newcomer - this could be her breakthrough appearance.

Regardless of how you look at Oldboy, it's unlike anything you are likely to have seen before.

Doesn't have the decency to end when it should.

As far as I'm concerned, it's official: Hollywood has lost the art of how to make horror films.

Has a fascinating premise; it's the execution that's sloppy.

Hostage has suspense and momentum.